The Allegheny County Bar Foundation is accepting Board of Trustee applications to fill three seats on the ACBF Board. Interested applicants that are not attorneys are also encouraged to apply. Trustees serve for a period of three years. This term will begin on July 1. The foundation board meets a minimum of six times per year on the first Wednesday of alternating months. Meetings begin at noon at ACBA Headquarters.

Trustees must be a Fellows GIVE member of the Bar Foundation or willing to become one upon appointment to the board and should have a proven track record of public service and/or participation with a non-profit board  or other charitable activities.

Submit a completed application online using the link below by Thursday, April 30. For more information on the ACBF, please visit www.acbf.org or click here to view the ACBF Gratitude Report.

Cases in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas Civil Division with an amount in controversy up to $50,000 go to mandatory arbitration. All members are invited to a free non-CLE skills training program on the topic – “Arguing in Arbitration: Tips for Success in Mandatory Civil Arbitration” – on Monday, April 13 from 12 to 1:30 p.m. in the Koppers Building Conference Center.

Participants will gain a clear, step-by-step overview of case initiation, hearing-day procedures, discovery parameters, evidentiary considerations and post-award practice. The program will highlight key differences among counties, common procedural pitfalls, and address ethical considerations in arbitration. Experienced arbitration practitioners will share real-world insights on presenting persuasive cases within the time and structural constraints unique to arbitration.

It will be here before you know it. The 62nd annual ACBA Bench-Bar Conference is June 18-20 at Seven Springs Mountain Resort. The conference, which will also serve as a farewell to Executive Director David Blaner as he prepares for retirement, will feature a full slate of CLEs, sporting events, fine dining, drinks, networking and more. Registration will open next month.

If your firm will be sending at least one attorney to the ACBA Bench-Bar Conference this year, consider sponsoring the conference. Sponsorships at the Gold level and above include at least one conference admission (a $665 value), as well as branding throughout the conference and beyond. For more information, click below or email Brian Knavish at bknavish@acba.org.

Hosting an event of interest to the Pittsburgh Legal Community? Want to celebrate a new hire or promotion at your firm? Have a legal support service that Pittsburgh attorneys would find valuable? You can promote those opportunities – right here in this very spot – by sponsoring an edition of the Sidebar e-newsletter. Sidebar Sponsorships are currently available at half-price; your content can run in any available edition in the next 12 months, but you have to lock in your agreement by Thursday, April 30 to get the deal. Limited spots are available, so act now. For more, contact Jennifer Pulice at jpulice@acba.org or click below.

The Kennedy T. Friend Scholarship Fund was established by the will of Kennedy T. Friend, a distinguished member of the ACBA who passed in London, England in 1929. Any child of an attorney who is a member of the Allegheny County Bar and has an active practice in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, is eligible for this scholarship if they choose to attend Yale University or the successor schools of the University of Paris.

The ACBA Civil Litigation Section’s 33rd Annual Lunch with the Judges will be held on Thursday, April 16 from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 pm. in the Duquesne Club. The event, which is open to all members, offers attorneys the chance to network and enjoy lunch with distinguished members of the State and Federal Judiciary.

The highlight of the event – which is sponsored by Planet Depos – is the presentation of the Civil Litigation Section Professionalism Award, which is bestowed upon a distinguished member of the legal profession who has been active in the ACBA. The prestigious Professionalism Award will be presented the day of the event, unbeknownst to the recipient until that day.

ACBA members are eligible for a 10 percent lifetime discount on 8am MyCase practice management software. From 8am MyCase, firms can complete client intake, billing and payment, case management tasks, client communication tasks, legal AI and more. Never think twice about where to find important case documents, messages, and contacts — everything is organized and accessible from any web browser or device.

Whether you’re in a guaranteed-cost or deductible program, workers’ compensation benchmarking reveals what’s really driving your costs — and where you have leverage to improve results. For more, see the article below. For additional information on the ACBA Insurance Program, visit www.ACBA.org/Insurance.

The St. Thomas More Society of Pittsburgh is conducting its annual Franklyn E. Conflenti Lenten Speaker Series, and the speakers for this year’s sessions have been announced. The sessions will be held at noon on Tuesdays through March 24 at the offices of Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney. The sessions are free and are open to all members and guests; lunch is available for $10. For more information, the list of speakers and specific topics, or to register, click the button below or contact ACBA member Moira Cain-Mannix at cain-mannix@marcus-shapira.com or 412-338-3344.

Volunteers are needed to help prepare dinner for guests of the Family House on Wednesday, April 8 from 3-7 p.m. Family House is a nonprofit organization in Shadyside that provides safe and affordable lodging for patients and their families who travel to Pittsburgh for medical care. Volunteers must arrive by 3 p.m. will be helping prepare and serve dinner for 70-90 guests at Family House. The menu and ingredients will be prepared by the Community Service Committee. No cooking experience is necessary.